


Faded

by orphan_account



Category: My Bloody Valentine (2009), Supernatural
Genre: Blood and Gore, Dissociative Identity Disorder, F/M, Flashbacks, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-23 07:43:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8319595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Sam and Dean make a pitstop at the small town of Harmony, they aren't expecting to stay there for long. Or to investigate dozens of murders that happened there five years ago that only a few people know about. But when Dean starts getting flashbacks, Sam, Sarah, and Axel start to worry.





	1. Chapter 1

The small town of Harmony hides a dark secret.  No one knows about it other than the residents who were living there five years ago when it happened.  It remains a mystery to the newcomers.  Every year on Valentine’s day, there’s a small and somber memorial at the Sheriff’s house for those who died.  And every year on that very day, the town and its people wait with bated breath for Tom Hanniger to return and finish what he started.

* * *

Dean rolls the windows down of the impala and turns up the stereo.  He glances at his brother Sam, who’s nodding his head to the beat of the music.

    “So where exactly are we headed?” asks Dean.

    “We’re headed to North Carolina.  Rockwell.  We got reports of something that takes the form of people.”

    “Shape shifter?”

    “Bingo.  We need to make a pit stop, though.  Almost out of gas.”

    Dean nods.  He passes a sign that reads ‘Harmony’.  “Harmony?  So this town is all about self meditation yoga crap?”

    “I guess we’ll find out.”

    Dean pulls into the nearest gas station and gets out.  “Want anything to eat or drink?”

    “We could always go to a diner, see if they have any pie or anything.”

    “I do love me some pie.”  Dean smiles and fills up the impala with gas.  Once he’s done with that mundane task, he gets back into his car and starts it up.  A few streets down, he spots a diner and pulls in.  He and Sam go inside.  It wasn’t crowded at all.  It  _ was _ small, however.  The brothers slide into a booth and quickly order coffee.  They would need it for the hunt.  Dean looks up and realizes that people are staring at him.  Some look fearful, some look pissed off.

    “Why are they staring at you?” asks Sam in a low voice.

    “You think I know?”

    “Clearly not.  They all look freaked out.”

    An officer suddenly bursts into the diner and slams Dean’s head on the table.  Sam jumps up and pulls the officer away.

    “You just don’t know how to stay dead, do you?” The officer lands a blow on Dean’s nose and the Winchester falls to the ground.  Sam gets in between them.

    “What the hell are you talking about?!” Sam demands.  The officer ignores him and lifts Dean up by his shirt.

    “You’ve got some major balls, Hanniger.  Comin’ back after all you’ve put us through!”

    “He’s not Tom Hanniger.” Sam says.  “His name is Dean Winchester.  He’s my brother.”  The officer that has Dean’s shirt looks at him and tosses him aside.  He moves to Sam.

  
    “Like I’m gonna buy that,” he says.  “That asshole probably has you brainwashed like he did poor Sarah.  He's a murderer.”  The guy points back at Dean, who is getting up off the floor.  Sam shakes his head.

    “Dean isn’t a murderer.  He’s a good guy.”

    “Why don’t we just talk this over with some pie.  You all like pie, right?” a voice asks.  The officer steps to the side and another man walks up to the brothers, uniform and all.  “The name’s Martin.  Sorry about my buddy over there.  We just thought that you were Tom.”

    “Yeah, well we got that.  Can we talk somewhere private?  I doubt that people wanna hear about this,” says Sam.

    Martin nods.  “We still need the pie, though. I’ll bet you’ll need it after this story.”

* * *

They enter the police station in silence and Martin leads them to a surveillance system.  He sets the pie on the table and sits down as the others follow suit.  “So, where do you wanna start?”

    “Who in the hell is this Tom guy?  Did he murder people or what? And why do you think I’m him?” Dean asks.

    “Well, you are correct about the murder thing.  Never thought you would ask that straight away.  And you’re a spitting image.  He looked just like you, Dean Winchester.”

    Dean suddenly gets a cold feeling in his chest, like he’s being dunked in ice water again and again.  “He looks exactly like me?”

    “ _ Looked. _  Past tense.  Tom is dead.  Died from a fire in the mines.”

    “How did he even start killing?” Sam asks.  He glances at his brother.

    “No one knows his motive.  People just knew he was crazy in the head.  Stayed in a mental institution for seven years.  He came back here on the eleventh anniversary of the mine collapse.”

    “Mine collapse?”

    “Valentine’s day of nineteen ninety seven.  Trapped six people in that mine — five unknown and one comatose.  Harry Warden.  He killed the other people to conserve his own goddamn air.  Some say the collapse was Tom’s fault, seeing as he forgot to bleed the methane lines for air.  Exactly one year later, Harry woke up from his coma.  Slaughtered half the hospital and a bunch of stupid teenagers who were dumb enough to have a party down in the mines.  He was later killed by Sheriff Burke.  Then Tom came around.  He was there for the party with Sarah, his girlfriend, and was about to be killed by Harry, then he just left.  Everyone thought he was dead.  But he came back, ten years later.  Started killing people.  People say it was to finish what Harry started, or just because he was insane.  Split personality disorder, the doctors said.  When he put on the miner’s outfit and grabbed that pickaxe, he changed into Harry Warden.  When he just went about his day, he was Tom Hanniger.  He was later killed in a fire started in the mines by Sarah and Axel Palmer.  They still live here if you feel the need to talk to them.”

    Sam and Dean stay silent and let the words that Martin just said sink in.  Dean speaks first.

    “Do you really think it would be wise to visit Sarah and Axel?  Since I look  _ exactly _ like Tom?”

    “I can always go with you and explain, Dean.  And I’m sure Sam can help as well,” says Martin.

    “Well, let’s go then.”

* * *

Dean looks at Martin for reassurance as they go to the front door.  Martin only looks at the door and nods.  Dean takes a deep breath and raps his knuckles on the wood.  A few seconds pass and a woman answers.  She stares at Dean and then rushes inside and pulls a gun from under the couch, pointing the barrel towards him.

    “Whoa, whoa!  Sarah, this isn’t Tom!” Martin puts his hands up.  Sam takes out his own gun and points it to her.

    Sarah keeps her eyes locked on Dean, her gaze never wavering.  “Prove it!  I’m not taking any chances!”

    “How long have Sarah and Axel been married?” Martin asks Dean.

    “I have no idea — just put the gun down, lady!”

    “Sarah?  Is everything alright?”  Axel comes to the door and freezes when he sees Dean.  He moves to punch him, but Sarah stops him.

    “Calm down, Axel.  It’s not Tom.  I checked.” Sarah smiles apologetically at Dean and drops the gun to her side.  “Sorry about that.  I guess I overreacted.”

    Sam drops his gun.  “We all did.  We do, however, want to ask you about Tom.  It might be a sensitive subject for you, but we just want to know what happened and why my brother looks exactly like him.”

    Axel nods and looks at Sarah. “We can tell you everything you need to know.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys find out more info on Tom and Sam begins to worry about Dean

“...and then I shot him in the side.  The bullet hit the gas tank and blew up the mine.  Axel and I got out, but Tom...,” says Sarah quietly,  “he died in the explosion.”

    “Are you _sure_ he died in that explosion, Sarah?” Sam asks.  He glances at Dean, who seems to be growing uncomfortable by the minute.  Of course this whole thing is going to be strange.  A guy who looked exactly like him went on a damn murder spree five years ago.  It isn’t exactly a lovely subject.

    “Of course he died.  No one could survive a fuckin’ explosion like that, not even Tom goddamn Hanniger,” says Axel bitterly.

    After giving Axel one of his signature bitch faces, Sam turns his attention to Martin.  “Did you send any of your officers or anyone to look through the mine to see if Tom really was dead?”

    Martin raises an eyebrow.  “I didn’t bother sending anyone out there because, like Axel said, no one could’ve survived the explosion.  So why bother moving all the rubble out of the way and make the boys see Tom’s squished body?  Why do you even care?”

    “Because,” Sam says with a little bit of a annoyed tone, “just because you and Axel say he didn’t make it doesn’t make it a fact.  For all we know he could’ve survived the explosion.”

    An uncomfortable silence falls between the group and they look at each other.  Sarah breaks the silence.  “Alright, let’s say Tom did live.  He couldn’t have been stuck down there in the mine forever.  He would’ve died from thirst and hunger.”

    Dean, who’s been quiet for the whole entire time they've been there, finally speaks.  “I’m no expert on mines but...don’t people have other ways to get out of them in case of an emergency?”

    “Nope.  The only way out is up the tunnel entrance,” says Martin.

    Dean is quiet again.  He doesn’t know what to say.  He thinks for a moment, then speaks.  “Do you guys mind if we do some research on this?”

    “Not at all.  Do all the research you want,” says Sarah with a grateful smile.

    “Thank you.  We’ll tell you if we find anything new.”

*   *   *   *

_Sneaking around the back of the mine isn’t the hard part.  Making sure no one notices him is the hard part.  Tom Hanniger rips off the gas mask and sits down on a fallen tree in the woods not far from the mines.  He looks at the pickaxe in his hand, smirks, and plots his next move.  Surely he’ll be found if he stays here any longer.  Tom hears sirens passing by where he’s sitting.  The ambulance, no doubt.  He wishes for Axel to bleed out, to have his heart slow and his breath fade away into oblivion.  If only he could watch the life drain from his eyes.  Tom then looks at his pickaxe that used to be Harry’s.  He stares at the dried blood on one of the ends and simply smiles.  He’ll carry out Harry’s legacy.  In this life and the next._

*   *   *   *

Dean’s eyes snap open as he jolts awake from his dream.  He peels his face from the keyboard of his laptop and sits up.  That dream felt familiar, like he’s lived it before.  Dean rubs his eyes and clears his throat as Sam walks in.

    “You got a little keyboard on your face there, Sleeping Beauty,” he comments, a smirk on his face.

    “Shut it, Sammy.” Dean grumbles back.  He’s clearly on edge from the dream, and he doesn’t want to tell Sam.  If Sam finds out he’ll most likely jump to conclusions.

    “Found any new info on this Tom Hanniger guy?”

    Dean shakes his head.  “Nope.  Just the same old.  Mental institution, murder, explosion.  Nothing new.”

    “Damn it...,” Sam mutters.

    “We need to keep looking.”

    Sam nods, then frowns.  “Hey, you seem a little freaked out.  You okay?”

    “Yeah, I’m fine.” He’s told that lie a million times and Sam knows it, but doesn’t acknowledge it.

    “Did you dream about anything?”

    Dean sighs.  Once Sam gets worried about him, he usually keeps pressing until Dean finally confesses.  “Yeah, I did, okay?  It was about Tom.”

    “You dreamt about Tom?  What was it about?”

    “It was after the explosion.  He walked out of the mine like he was perfectly fine.  Tom is still alive somewhere, plotting his next move.”

    “Dean, there’s no way he’s alive. Sarah and Axel confirmed it.”

    “I saw him, Sam!  I saw him walk out of the mine, I saw him vow to finish what Harry started.  I saw _myself_ in Tom vowing to kill.”

    “You’re not going to become Tom, Dean.  I know you aren’t.”

    “What about the Mark?  What about me becoming a demon and almost smashing your head in with a damn _hammer_?  I’m becoming a cold blooded killer just like Tom was.”

    Sam remains silent for a second.  He sighs, not sure on how to reassure his brother.  He decides to change the subject.  “I’m going to the store, you want anything?”

    “Pie.  A big one.  I need it.”

    “Gotcha.” Sam goes out of the bunker, keys in hand.

    Dean sighs and rubs his forearm.  The damn Mark is twitching.  He hopes he can hang on until they get out of this town.  He doesn’t want to be the next Tom Hanniger.

*   *   *   *

As soon as Sam is out of the bunker, he takes out his phone and calls Castiel.  He bites his lip as it goes straight to voicemail.  He tries again, and Cas picks up.

    “Sam? What’s wrong?”

    He sighs in relief at the angel’s voice.  “Cas, thank God you picked up.  I think Dean’s acting up again.  Y’know, with the Mark and all.  He thinks he’s going to become a serial killer that used to live here a while ago.”

    “A serial killer?  The Mark is affecting him greater than before.  We need to find a way to remove it.”

    “I know we do, but how?”

    Castiel sighs.  “I don’t know, but we need to find some way.  Keep me informed on Dean, alright?”

    “I will.  Thanks, Cas.” Sam hangs up and goes to the impala.

*   *   *   *

Dean walks down the gravel path to the mine and looks at the locked doors to tunnel number five.  It’s been restored after the explosion that Tom caused, but why it’s still up he clearly doesn’t know.  No one is around to see him break open the lock with a rusty pipe that’s leaning against a barrel.  He grabs his flashlight, turns it on, and steps into the musty air of the tunnel.  He doesn’t even know what he’s looking for, let alone what he’s even doing here.  For some odd reason, Dean walks to where the explosion happened, like he’s been here before, like he knows where he’s going.  He can’t help but think that all of this feels familiar...he shakes that thought off and goes deeper into the mine.  As Dean shines his flashlight on the gas line that Sarah shot with her gun, the same gas line that caused the mine to blow years before, a memory surfaces.

*   *   *   *

_Tom sees them on the other side of the tunnel, Axel with the gun in his hand and Sarah holding him up.  He smashes a light bulb with the pickaxe, his face twisted in rage and anger. Axel pulls the trigger on the gun, but it misses Tom.  Tom smashes another bulb and sparks go flying.  He walks slowly toward them, and they quickly move out of sight as they try and find a hiding place.  Tom just smirks and continues to break the bulbs.  He just rounds the corner as Sarah comes into view, gun in hand._

_“Tom,” she says and raises the gun, her voice full of warning.  He stares at her and the pickaxe slowly drops to his side.  Sarah looks at him with hope in her eyes.  Tom’s going to be okay, he’s going to be fine.  He’s not going to kill anymore.  Her hope bursts like a balloon that has just been popped as he swings the pickaxe at her.  She fires at him and the bullet goes into her side and hits the gas pump.  She has just enough time to get back to Axel as the mine explodes._

*   *   *   *

Dean finds Sam sitting at the kitchen table with a slice of pie.  Dean is obviously freaked out about what happened in the mine.  Hopefully Sam doesn’t notice.  The younger Winchester looks up.

    “Where’d you go?”

    “I wanted to check out the mine. You know, for research?  Didn’t find out a whole lot.”

    “The mine is still open?  Seriously?”

    Dean nods.  “Yup.  Still open, still operating.  No idea why it would be open, considering it had three murder sprees.”

    “Maybe this town relies heavily on the mine.  It would make sense if that’s the case.”

    “Most of the town isn’t aware about the sprees.  Only Sarah, Axel, and Deputy Martin know about it.  And us, of course.”

    “Should we tell them?”

    Dean shakes his head.  “Don’t want to cause a mass panic over the town.”

    “Right.” Sam looks at Dean a little more closely.  He seems spooked.  “Hey, Dean? Are you sure you’re okay?”

    Damn.  “Of course I’m okay, Sam, there’s no need to worry about me, alright?  I’m fine.”

    “Okay...,” he mutters, not believing a thing he’s saying.  “Anyway, what should we do? Leave, stay, find more info on Tom?”

    “I feel like we need to stay.  I don’t know why, I just get the feeling like there’s something we have to do.”

    Sam nods. “Alright.  We’re staying, then.”

*   *   *   *

Dean stares at himself in the mirror in his bathroom.  He looks at his hands, crimson red staining the porcelain sink.  He doesn’t even remember what happened. All he knows is that there’s blood on his hands.

    And he’s to blame.


End file.
